Vermont’s general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Here’s everything you need to know about how to participate and make sure your vote is counted.
Short on time? Here are the basics:
- The general election on Nov. 5 will include the presidential race, as well as state offices.
- Ballots will be mailed out to all active registered voters at the end of September. In-person voting will take place on Nov. 5. You can find ballot information, your polling place and more through your My Voter Page.
- You can register to vote anytime up to and on Nov. 5. You can register online, or in-person at your town clerk’s office or on Election Day at your polling place.
- Anyone who is a U.S. citizen and a current resident of Vermont who is at least 18 years old on Election Day can register and vote in the general election in Vermont.
- Voters have the right to ask for assistance or use tools such as a printed guide to help fill out a ballot. If you make a mistake, you can ask for a new ballot.
- If you get a ballot in the mail but prefer to vote in person, bring the ballot with you to your polling place.
- Find information about the candidates in Vermont Public's candidate questionnaire.
Jump to a section:
- What is Vermont’s Nov. 5 general election?
- How to register to vote
- How do I vote? How does early voting work?
- Where do I vote?
- Who can vote in Vermont?
- What are my rights as a voter?
- Is my vote secure?
- Other resources
- Who are the candidates?
What is Vermont’s Nov. 5 general election?
The general election is when the candidates for U.S. president, as well as the nominees for statewide office and state House and Senate seats, will be on the ballot. In other words: This is the big one.
Some towns and cities may also have local ballot questions.
Important dates
Sept. 23: Ballots are mailed out to all registered voters.
Oct. 22: Two weeks before Election Day. If you haven’t mailed your ballot by this date, the Secretary of State recommends that you return it through a more direct method, such as your town’s dropbox. You can also drop it off directly with your town clerk, or bring it with you to your polling place on Election Day.
Nov. 1: Friday before Election Day. If you wish to register online ahead of the election, make sure you do it by Nov. 1 to ensure your name shows up on the voter rolls.
Nov. 5: Election Day. Polls open between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. for the general election. All polling places will close at 7 p.m.
Find your polling place, and view a sample ballot by signing into your My Voter Page at mvp.vermont.gov.
How to register to vote
You can register to vote online at olvr.vermont.gov or at your town clerk’s office. If you’re not registered by Election Day, you can fill out a registration form at your polling place before voting. You may also get automatically registered when getting a driver’s license at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Registration drives, such as those held by the League of Women Voters, are also another way to become registered.
In order for your name to appear on the voter rolls on Election Day, it’s recommended that you register no later than the Friday before the election — otherwise, you may have to fill out a registration form again on the day of the election.
If you’re currently homeless, you can register in the town or district where you are living. You can list a homeless shelter’s address on your registration if you are staying there or in the vicinity.
People who live out of state but still consider Vermont their primary place of residence — like if you’re serving overseas, studying out of state or abroad, receiving care at a health facility or serving time in an out-of-state prison — can register to vote in the last town they lived in. You’ll then need to request an absentee ballot through your My Voter Page or by contacting your town or city clerk.
How do I vote? How does early voting work?
For general elections in Vermont, you have options:
How to vote by mail
For the general election on Nov. 5, all registered voters will have a ballot mailed to them at the end of September.
If you don’t get a ballot in the mail, your registration status may have changed or be incomplete. You can check your My Voter Page or contact your town clerk to resolve the issue. If you aren’t registered in time to get a ballot in the mail, you can still register ahead of Election Day online or at your polling place on Election Day.
Here’s how to vote with a mail-in ballot:
- Open your mailed ballot and mark it using a black pen.
- Put your completed ballot in the official certificate envelope provided.
- Fill in the information and sign the outside of the certificate envelope, then make sure it’s sealed. If you don’t complete the information on the certificate envelope, the ballot won’t be counted.
- Put the completed certificate envelope in the official, pre-paid return envelope, and either mail it back or drop it off at an official dropbox in your town.
To ensure your ballot gets counted on Election Day, Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas recommends that you try to put your ballot in the mail at least two weeks before Nov. 5 (That’s Oct. 22). If you aren’t able to put it in the mail before then, you can bring it to your town’s ballot dropbox. Or, you can bring it to your polling place on Election Day and put it in the tabulator (ballot counting machine) yourself.
How to vote in person
If you prefer to vote in person on Election Day, that’s an option, too.
You can only vote at the official polling place in the town where you live. You cannot vote at a polling place in any other town.
If you receive a mail-in ballot but want to go to the polls in person, officials ask that you bring the ballot you got in the mail with you, either filled out at home or to fill out after you arrive at your polling place. Remember the acronym BYOB — bring your own ballot.
When you arrive at your polling place, you’ll check in with a poll worker to get your ballot. You’ll also let them know at this time if you brought in the ballot that was mailed to you. If you are a first-time voter who registered by mail, you’ll be asked to show ID. Otherwise, you don’t need to show any ID. If you’d like to use the state’s accessible voting machine, Omniballot, let an election worker know. (If you received a mail-in ballot but want to use the Omniballot system, bring your mail-in ballot with you to your polling place.)
Once you’ve checked in and gotten a ballot, you can take it to a privacy booth and fill it out. Once you’re done filling out your ballot, you can take it to the tabulator and insert it. If your town hand-counts ballots, put it in the ballot box.
If you aren’t available on Election Day but want to cast your ballot in person, there is also an early in-person voting option, where you can cast your vote at your town clerk’s office before Election Day.
For more information about early and absentee voting, head to the Secretary of State’s website.
How do I know if my ballot was received?
You can confirm the status of your ballot on your My Voter Page. Kind of like the Domino’s Pizza Tracker, but for your ballot, you’ll be able to see when your town clerk received your ballot and that it’ll be counted.
If there was something wrong with your ballot, it’ll show up here too, and you can contact your clerk about fixing the error so that your ballot can be counted. (Town clerks will also reach out if they find something wrong with your ballot and give you an opportunity to fix or “cure” the ballot.)
Where do I vote?
You can find out where your polling place is on your My Voter Page. You can also call and check with your town clerk.
Polling places in Vermont can open any time between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5.
If you’re in line to vote by 7 p.m. but still haven’t voted, stay in line, because you have a right to cast your ballot.
Who can vote in Vermont?
Current Vermont residents who are U.S. citizens, are at least 18 years old, and are registered to vote in Vermont can vote in the Nov. 5 general election.
Can incarcerated people or people with felony convictions vote in Vermont?
Yes, you can vote if you’re incarcerated or if you’ve previously been convicted of a felony.
If you’re currently incarcerated, you’ll register in your previous town of residence and request an absentee ballot be sent to the correctional facility where you’re currently incarcerated.
Can I vote if I’m temporarily residing out of state or overseas?
You can. To get an absentee ballot, contact the town clerk in your last town of residence or request an absentee ballot online from your My Voter Page.
Can 17-year-olds vote?
Seventeen-year-olds who turn 18 years old on or before the day of the November general election can vote in Vermont.
You cannot take the Voter’s Oath until you’re 18 years old, so if you registered prior to turning 18, you’ll need to complete that part of your registration on or before Election Day. You can complete the Voter’s Oath online, through your My Voter Page, or in-person at your polling place or town clerk’s office.
More from But Why: Why Can't Kids Vote?
Can noncitizens or green card holders vote?
New U.S. citizens who have been naturalized can and are encouraged to vote in all federal and statewide elections.
The Vermont Language Justice Project and Secretary of State’s office have videos in 14 languages explaining how to register and vote. The Secretary of State’s office also has a video in English with American Sign Language.
What are my rights as a voter?
Any U.S. citizen who resides in Vermont and is 18 on Election Day has the right to cast a ballot in Vermont.
If you have a disability, you have the right to request accommodations and assistance voting.
You can:
- Bring someone else to assist you in the voting booth, as long as they are not an employer or union representative.
- Bring anything you need to help you cast your ballot into the voting booth; that includes a reminder sheet, written notes, an electronic device like a smartphone or a device such as a magnifying glass.
- Ask an election official for help, or ask them to bring your ballot to your car.
- Write in a name for any race.
- Ask for up to three replacement ballots if you make a mistake.
- Use Vermont’s accessible voting system. The state offers the Omniballot tablet accessible voting system to all voters. You can request this option when you arrive at your polling place. There is also an Omniballot at-home option for early voting that allows you to mark your ballot online, print it and then send it to your local election official. You can request this option at your My Voter Page.
If you encounter any problems voting, you can call the Secretary of State’s office at 1-800-439-VOTE (8683) or, if you are a person with a disability, you can call Disability Rights Vermont at 1-800-834-7890.
For more information about voting in plain language, see Disability Rights Vermont’s voter guide.
What can’t I bring to the polls?
- Campaigning and campaign materials, such as stickers supporting certain candidates, are not allowed inside of polling places.
- Firearms are not allowed inside or near polling places in Vermont, per a new law that went into effect this year.
Is my vote secure?
Vermont has a number of safeguards to ensure your vote is secure and to prevent voter fraud, which data shows is very rare in U.S. elections.
According to Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas, a potential voter facing barriers that prevent them from casting their ballot is a much more widespread issue than fraud.
“There are so many times and places and ways that Americans are prevented from voting when it is their constitutional right to vote. … And we have all these safeguards in place to find out if somebody fraudulently cast a ballot, and when we find those, we turn those over to the Attorney General's office for investigation,” Copeland Hanzas said.
Her office, along with town and city clerks, created a video to demystify election security in Vermont.
Other resources
There are many other resources for voters to learn about the upcoming election and the candidates who are running.
- The Secretary of State’s office answers some of the biggest voter questions on their Election Day FAQ page. You can also download a list of candidates and a list of polling places from the Secretary of State’s site. When you receive your mail-in ballot, you’ll be able to access a voter guide through your My Voter Page.
- Disability Rights Vermont has a General Voter’s Guide for the 2024 election.
- The League of Women Voters of Vermont has resources for voters, including informational brochures in five languages.
- Read Vermont Public's candidate questionnaire to compare the candidates on key issues. In addition, there are candidate surveys published by VTDigger and Seven Days. You can also check local newspapers across the state.
- Watch for Vermont Public's live debates with statewide candidates in the coming weeks.
- Some advocacy groups conduct candidate forums or questionnaires. For example, the ACLU of Vermont has a voter guide that includes responses from Vermont House and Senate candidates about issues like housing access, discrimination in education and police accountability.
Who are the candidates?
President of the United States
- Kamala Harris and Tim Walz (Democrat)
- Donald Trump and JD Vance (Republican)
- Chase Oliver and Mike Ter Maat (Libertarian)
- Rachele Fruit and Dennis Richter (Socialist Workers)
- Claudia De La Cruz and Karina Garcia (Socialism and Liberation)
- Robert F Kennedy Jr. and Nicole Shanahan (We the People)
- Cornel West and Melina Abdullah (Peace and Justice)
Governor
- Esther Charlestin (Democrat/Progressive)
- Phil Scott (Republican, incumbent)
- Kevin Hoyt (Independent)
- Eli “Poa” Mutino (Independent)
- June Goodband (Peace and Justice)
Lieutenant governor
- David Zuckerman (Progressive/Democrat, incumbent)
- John S. Rodgers (Republican)
- Ian Diamondstone (Peace and Justice)
Attorney general
- Charity R. Clark (Democrat)
- Ture Nelson (Republican)
- Kevin Gustafson (Peace and Justice)
Secretary of state
- Sarah Copeland Hanzas (Democrat, incumbent)
- H. Brooke Paige (Republican)
Treasurer
- Joshua Bechhoefer (Republican)
- Mike Pieciak (Democrat)
Auditor
- Doug Hoffer (Democrat/Progressive)
- H. Brooke Paige (Republican)
U.S. Senate
- Bernie Sanders (Independent, incumbent)
- Steve Berry (Independent)
- Gerald Malloy (Republican)
- Matt Hill (Libertarian)
- Justin Schoville (Peace and Justice)
- Mark Stewart Greenstein (Epic)
U.S. House
- Becca Balint (Democrat, incumbent)
- Mark Coester (Republican)
- Adam Ortiz (Independent)
- Jill “Jessy” Diamondstone (Peace and Justice)
Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message.
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